


Remember being mundane

by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)



Series: Saphael Winter Tales [25]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Bane Chronicles - Sarah Rees Brennan & Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Canon Compliant, Catholic Character, Ice Skating, Jewish Character, M/M, Religious Content (briefly), Slightly awkward Raphael, Winter, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 22:46:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8686294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaiseYourVoice/pseuds/mckvch
Summary: "Did your family celebrate Hanukkah?" Raphael asked with an unexpectedly gentle voice, blinking a few snowflakes away that got stuck in his lashes. Simon looked up in surprise at the question and it always made Raphael feel bad to realise that the other never really expected him to care even though he did - more than he probably should."Yeah. Well, not really celebrate. We lit the candles on the hanukkiah, said the prayers and played dreidel. That's--""It's a four-sided spinning top, I know. Each side bears the letter of the Hebrew alphabet and it's used for gambling games," Raphael interrupted him before he was able to explain and Simon's lips parted, surprised yet again by the other's knowledge and therefore interest in other traditions. Immortality sure was a good way to learn a lot of things.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I should mention that I don't really know much about Jewish holidays and had to look up Hanukkah and even though the topic is only kept short, please tell me if I did anything wrong.

"You do realise that I have more important matters to tend to than being dragged around the city by a fledgeling?" Raphael's annoyance was almost palpable but Simon was already immune to this tone of voice and tended to ignore it. Instead of answering the rhetorical question, he pointed forwards to where the Rockefeller Center came into view and suddenly the clan leader _knew_ what the other planned.

" _Por el amor de Dios_ , no! Did you seriously keep me from work and dragged me out here to go to a stupid ice rink?!"

Simon stopped suddenly and turned around, the smile vanishing from his lips and Raphael immediately felt bad for his angry outburst. He was about to take it back but Simon interrupted him.

"I just thought...it would be nice to get out and do something - it's Christmas, after all - but if you want to head back," Simon trailed off with a shrug, suddenly sounding small and reminding Raphael of a lost puppy with his big, sad eyes. It really wasn't fair for the other to look like this.

"You're Jewish, you don't even celebrate Christmas. Didn't Hanukkah just begin?"

"Yeah, today's the second day. It's not really that big of a deal, even though it seems to be one of the only Jewish holidays other people at least heard of," Simon replied with his gaze fixed on some snow that was stuck to the tips of his boots and glistened in the artificial light of the street lamps. Raphael sighed and stepped a little closer, tilting his head in an attempt to catch the younger vampire's gaze.

"Did your family celebrate Hanukkah?" Raphael asked with an unexpectedly gentle voice, blinking a few snowflakes away that got stuck in his lashes. Simon looked up in surprise at the question and it always made Raphael feel bad to realise that the other never really expected him to care even though he did - more than he probably should.

"Yeah. Well, not really celebrate. We lit the candles on the hanukkiah, said the prayers and played dreidel. That's--"

"It's a four-sided spinning top, I know. Each side bears the letter of the Hebrew alphabet and it's used for gambling games," Raphael interrupted him before he was able to explain and Simon's lips parted, surprised yet again by the other's knowledge and therefore interest in other traditions. Immortality sure was a good way to learn a lot of things.

"That's right. But we never played for money and it was just for fun. We mostly played for sweets or buttons, whatever was at hand," Simon explained with a soft voice and the corners of his mouth curled into a sad little smile. He clearly missed these little traditions, despite calling them 'not that big of a deal' and Raphael got it, that it wasn't about the traditions but about spending time with his family and feeling close to their religion, to their beliefs.

"We could get a dreidel, you know. Just because it's a Jewish tradition doesn't mean we can't play it and there are always some in the clan that would love to join," Raphael offered with the tiniest hint of a smile and he knew it wouldn't replace Simon's time with his mother and sister but the clan was his new family and if such a small game could make him feel at least a little better, where was the harm in it?

"Did you seriously just offer to play a game with me? Who are you and what have you done with our grumpy clan leader??"

"Okay, I take it back, forget about it. And I was seriously about to agree to the stupid ice-rink idea of yours," Raphael sighed, annoyance seeping back into his voice but his eyes seemed to flash with embarrassment for the briefest of seconds. The older vampire had offered Simon comfort and, of course, he had to ruin it by making some stupid joke.

"No! No, no! I'd love to play dreidel with you and some of the others and I totally want you to agree to go ice-skating with me. Please, Rapha," Simon pleaded and reached out for Raphael, grabbing the sleeve of his unnecessary coat - they were undead and didn't feel the cold but still wore winter clothing to seem normal - and tugged playfully at the soft material.

* * *

Of course, Raphael agreed to go to the ice-rink in the end and it was surprisingly empty. There were quite a few people, sure, but it was usually much more crowded. Though most people probably preferred to spend the 25th in the warmth of their houses celebrating with their families instead of being out in the cold. Ever since the clan leader was turned he had never encountered a situation where his movements could have been described as _clumsy_ but standing on ice skates for the first time in more than 60 years was...surprisingly challenging.

Simon was already further out on the rink, slowly gliding over the pearl white ice and he looked ridiculously at ease doing so. Usually, it was Simon who stumbled over his own feet even though every vampire was graceful by nature but the fledgeling obviously never got this memo. Now, though, it was Raphael who didn't quite know how or where to put his feet. Well, he did know it _in theory_ but he felt unexpectedly insecure standing on nothing but two thin blades on an icy surface.

"What's up? Don't tell me you never went ice skating before," Simon called, heading towards him and stopping more or less skilful in front of Raphael who simply frowned at him in embarrassed frustration.

"Of course I went ice skating before...but that was more than 60 years ago," Raphael admitted, lowering his voice so only Simon was able to pick up on the last part because he really didn't need any of the mundanes around them to overhear this piece of the conversation. Silent understanding crossed Simon's face but instead of laughing or making fun of him for indirectly admitting that he indeed had not much of a clue what to do, he smiled almost gently and reached out to offer his hand.

"And I thought the day I could help and teach you for a change would never come. It's really not difficult, you just have to get accustomed to the feeling of moving on the ice," Simon said, still smiling, and Raphael glanced at the offered hand before exhaling an unnecessary breath and taking the fledgeling's hand. The younger vampire's eyes seemed to light up when their hands wrapped around one another, fingers entangling, and he carefully tugged Raphael away from the boards the clan leader had stayed close to after stepping on the ice.

It was weird, being at this early when so many mundanes were still up and about. Raphael barely ever left the hotel early in winter and he really wondered why because it was dark so early that it was the only chance for a vampire to remember their mundane lives and to feel _normal_ for a while. Most probably chose to stay inside until at least midnight because they didn't want to remember and feel all this, with their memories tied to the knowledge of never getting this back. Being around Simon felt like being around a mundane most of the time because the boy still seemed so alive, without the weight of decades or centuries weighing him down, and Raphael felt himself drawn to this warmth and cheerfulness even though he always pretended to be annoyed by everything Simon did but he honestly couldn't imagine anything being better than spending time with the lively fledgling.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Por el amor de Dios_ \- For the love of God


End file.
